Warmoth Owners Club!!

[wyliee]

Thanks! To be absolutely clear I wasn't making any attack on any individual at Warmoth. I love what they do, have repeatedly ordered from them and had loads of generous and supportive assistance in doing so. I have one on order at the moment and plan to order more. It very much comes across that it's a team of really good people working really hard to produce really great products. And of course guitar will massively outsell bass.

I think what occasionally irks me (if only mildly so), and @Datsgor and @13bass were also suggesting, was that even if guitar outsells bass, does that mean that there should be so much less attention paid to bass? I mean guitar outsells bass at Fender or almost any company that is known for both, but shouldn't there still be a certain minimum? There are often zero bass necks and bodies available in the various promotions that they do - for example the recent koa bodies sale.

Obviously it makes sense that there should be less, but maybe what I mean is they need a "bass person" like @wyliee and it feels at the moment like they perhaps don't have anyone advocating for bass? That's just speculation of course but I'm just saying that's how it seems from outside

Totally no worries at all. There is less bass inventory than when I worked there, but I cannot say that is not a reflection of current sales. I enjoy being able to see exactly what I'm getting before I buy.

But with that said, I'm still pretty comfortable ordering custom parts and trusting the quality and appearance of the finished product will be there. (How well I put something together is another story...)

 

[Kitsapbass]

(How well I put something together is another story...)

I’m pretty sure that applies to me as well Bud.

 

[MARVIN MECKLER]

A couple questions for the Warmoth experts:

1) Will Warmoth still route for the Hipshot tremolo?

2) Will Warmoth route a reverse P pickup in a standard Precision pickguard?

3) Does Warmoth even make their own pickguards?

Thanks, everybody!

 

[J Posega]

The real experts are at Warmoth. Email them.

 

[Bassinthemudd]

A couple questions for the Warmoth experts:

1) Will Warmoth still route for the Hipshot tremolo?

2) Will Warmoth route a reverse P pickup in a standard Precision pickguard?

3) Does Warmoth even make their own pickguards?

Thanks, everybody!

Warmoth will do custom pickup routes for an extra charge. I don't know about your other questions.

 

[BioDriver]

So random thought...

Assume one wanted to make a Stingray clone. And this clone would utilize a Stingray control plate with the top routed cavity. Would any of the Warmoth top route cavities be large enough to keep all the guts beneath it?

Asking for a friend.

 

[fauxtoe]

So random thought...

Assume one wanted to make a Stingray clone. And this clone would utilize a Stingray control plate with the top routed cavity. Would any of the Warmoth top route cavities be large enough to keep all the guts beneath it?

Asking for a friend.

Their '72 P bass cavity might work, but for that to follow the same curvature angle as the control plate is a real shot in the dark without being able visually check before hand. I kind of doubt it. However, there's nothing stopping you from modifying the route to your heart's desire after the fact

With that said, you can make a "Stingray" bass out of almost anything they have. I'm doing one myself right now with a P bass body that is rear routed for the control cavity and the MM pickup route set at the sweet spot (Stingray position). I'm using an EMG setup with this bass because I want something a little different than the 'Rays I already have, but I could just as easily install one of the many offerings of the original 2 band preamp design and a correctly wound alnico pickup.

 

[fauxtoe]

And here's the Warmoth P-Ray I'm working on. The body just came in today and I started working on it after everyone went to bed. I installed the pickup, preamp, bridge, and the electrosocket jack. It would have all gone very quickly had the pickup cavity not had a gallon of clear in it, preventing the pickup from dropping in. I started with a file, but I eventually had to break out my little Bauer rotary tool (the Harbor Freight version of a Dremel) and very carefully removed enough clear from the inside edges until it went in. I'll pat myself on the back for that one, because I was extremely calculating with how I was handling the tool with two hands to make it as steady as possible and it came out perfect.

Specs -

Body: Chambered white korina with a highly figured quilted maple top. 4 lbs, 10 ounces in its bare form. This was a showcase piece that I purchased on a whim as the prices started to drop towards the end of last year. Even in its mostly completed stage, minus the finish and pickup route, it took 4 months and 10 days to receive.

Finish: Washed black dye, burst over to solid black on the back. I opted to go with a solid color because the body grain was not interesting at all and I didn't want it to clash with the top had I left it visible. It has a natural masked line on the body, which was phenomenally done by whoever did it at the shop. Gloss finish, if that wasn't obvious.

Electronics: EMG MMHZ pickup, EMG BQC Control preamp (3 bands with mid sweep), currently wired to 9v with the option to go to 18v if I need it to.

Knobs: Sadowsky style, made by KILO International (my favorite knobs)

Bridge: Kluson Hi-mass (the one bridge that doesn't rip my hands to shreds if I'm using a pick and resting on it, and is a 1/3 the cost of anything claiming to be better) It just works!

Neck: This bass will eventually have a KLOS carbon fiber neck with a 1.5" nut width, but as they are currently delayed in the manufacturing process I'll just have to wait a little longer. For now, I'm going to poach an all wenge Warmoth jazz neck from one of my other builds just so I'm able to play it.

 

[blizzard]

And here's the Warmoth P-Ray I'm working on. The body just came in today and I started working on it after everyone went to bed. I installed the pickup, preamp, bridge, and the electrosocket jack. It would have all gone very quickly had the pickup cavity not had a gallon of clear in it, preventing the pickup from dropping in. I started with a file, but I eventually had to break out my little Bauer rotary tool (the Harbor Freight version of a Dremel) and very carefully removed enough clear from the inside edges until it went in. I'll pat myself on the back for that one, because I was extremely calculating with how I was handling the tool with two hands to make it as steady as possible and it came out perfect.

Specs -

Body: Chambered white korina with a highly figured quilted maple top. 4 lbs, 10 ounces in its bare form. This was a showcase piece that I purchased on a whim as the prices started to drop towards the end of last year. Even in its mostly completed stage, minus the finish, it took 4 months and 10 days to receive.

Finish: Washed black dye, burst over to solid black on the back. I opted to go with a solid color because the body grain was not interesting at all and I didn't want it to clash with the top had I left it visible. It has a natural masked line on the body, which was phenomenally done by whoever did it at the shop. Gloss finish, if that wasn't obvious.

Electronics: EMG MMHZ pickup, EMG BQC control preamp (3 bands with mid sweep), currently wired to 9v with the option to go to 18v if I need it to.

Knobs: Sadowsky style, made by KILO International (my favorite knobs)

Bridge: Kluson Hi-mass (the one bridge that doesn't rip my hands to shreds if I'm using a pick and resting on it, and is a 1/3 the cost of anything claiming to be better) It just works!

Neck: This bass will eventually have a KLOS carbon fiber neck with a 1.5" nut width, but as they are currently delayed in the manufacturing process I'll just have to wait a little longer. For now, I'm going to poach an all wenge Warmoth jazz neck from one of my other builds just so I'm able to play it.


View attachment 5428707 View attachment 5428708

Very interested in the Klos neck, it will be very Flea-esque build. Also curious as to the HZ EMG, when I think of EMG it's definitely the active series.

 

[fauxtoe]

Very interested in the Klos neck, it will be very Flea-esque build. Also curious as to the HZ EMG, when I think of EMG it's definitely the active series.

The HZ follows more of how a real Stingray is with it being a passive pickup into an active preamp. There’s a few videos out there showing this combination in detail (Lobster being one) and I’ve been impressed every time I hear it.

 

[murphy]

And here's the Warmoth P-Ray I'm working on. The body just came in today and I started working on it after everyone went to bed. I installed the pickup, preamp, bridge, and the electrosocket jack. It would have all gone very quickly had the pickup cavity not had a gallon of clear in it, preventing the pickup from dropping in. I started with a file, but I eventually had to break out my little Bauer rotary tool (the Harbor Freight version of a Dremel) and very carefully removed enough clear from the inside edges until it went in. I'll pat myself on the back for that one, because I was extremely calculating with how I was handling the tool with two hands to make it as steady as possible and it came out perfect.

Specs -

Body: Chambered white korina with a highly figured quilted maple top. 4 lbs, 10 ounces in its bare form. This was a showcase piece that I purchased on a whim as the prices started to drop towards the end of last year. Even in its mostly completed stage, minus the finish and pickup route, it took 4 months and 10 days to receive.

Finish: Washed black dye, burst over to solid black on the back. I opted to go with a solid color because the body grain was not interesting at all and I didn't want it to clash with the top had I left it visible. It has a natural masked line on the body, which was phenomenally done by whoever did it at the shop. Gloss finish, if that wasn't obvious.

Electronics: EMG MMHZ pickup, EMG BQC Control preamp (3 bands with mid sweep), currently wired to 9v with the option to go to 18v if I need it to.

Knobs: Sadowsky style, made by KILO International (my favorite knobs)

Bridge: Kluson Hi-mass (the one bridge that doesn't rip my hands to shreds if I'm using a pick and resting on it, and is a 1/3 the cost of anything claiming to be better) It just works!

Neck: This bass will eventually have a KLOS carbon fiber neck with a 1.5" nut width, but as they are currently delayed in the manufacturing process I'll just have to wait a little longer. For now, I'm going to poach an all wenge Warmoth jazz neck from one of my other builds just so I'm able to play it.


View attachment 5428707 View attachment 5428708

This is Stunning!!! What kind of neck will you be mating to this?
Drop Dead Gorgeous....Looks so clean
I do Love EMG series pickups/preamps and had a great varimid in my SR5 HS with Nordie MM2.5 pickups and Nordie MM 2 band preamp.....adding the vari mid was a fantastic addition!

 

[fauxtoe]

This is Stunning!!! What kind of neck will you be mating to this?
Drop Dead Gorgeous....Looks so clean
I do Love EMG series pickups/preamps and had a great varimid in my SR5 HS with Nordie MM2.5 pickups and Nordie MM 2 band preamp.....adding the vari mid was a fantastic addition!

I have a Classic 4H, a SR5 Special HH, and a Modulus FB5 with a Legacy Lane Poor and Bartolini 3 band, so knowing how those all sound I wanted to try a bit of a different flavor with EMG. Admittedly, I’m a bit of an EMG fanboy, so any excuse really to use their products and I probably will.

The neck will eventually be a KLOS carbon fiber neck with a 1.5” nut width. I just emailed them and they are still a few months off from having a finished product. For now, it will be an all wenge Warmoth jazz neck borrowed from a previous build.

 

[Bassinthemudd]

While on the subject of StingRay pups and preamps, I agree that there are a lot of great options out there, but just want to plug the East 2 band. I have one in my 2005 EBMM StingRay with a Nordstrand MM4.2. It's a glorious combo.

 

[InvisibleMan]

So I have a question for you all. I bought the attached body in the showcase a few months back but don’t have a neck for it yet.

My feeling was that it would look better with a darker fingerboard, so I planned on just doing maple neck plus rosewood fingerboard, probably with pearloid blocks or MOP dots.

However, I’ve started to think about the possibility of a wenge neck. I don’t have any instruments with a wenge neck at the moment, but have enjoyed playing Warwicks that had them, so that is a plus for wenge. The fact that it doesn’t need a finish is another point in its favour. The bass will only have a bridge pickup since that’s what I tend to use and I didn’t want to take away too much of that beautiful top. I tend to roll off some of the treble as it is, so I don’t want anything that will make it too bright, which is why I wasn’t considering ebony.

Basically, my question is this: what would you do?

a) Maple with rosewood (the traditional choice)
b) Maple with wenge fb
c) Wenge neck and fingerboard
d) Something else?

bonus question: binding?

Thoughts/ideas appreciated

 

[J Posega]

So I have a question for you all. I bought the attached body in the showcase a few months back but don’t have a neck for it yet.

My feeling was that it would look better with a darker fingerboard, so I planned on just doing maple neck plus rosewood fingerboard, probably with pearloid blocks or MOP dots.

However, I’ve started to think about the possibility of a wenge neck. I don’t have any instruments with a wenge neck at the moment, but have enjoyed playing Warwicks that had them, so that is a plus for wenge. The fact that it doesn’t need a finish is another point in its favour. The bass will only have a bridge pickup since that’s what I tend to use and I didn’t want to take away too much of that beautiful top. I tend to roll off some of the treble as it is, so I don’t want anything that will make it too bright, which is why I wasn’t considering ebony.

Basically, my question is this: what would you do?

a) Maple with rosewood (the traditional choice)
b) Maple with wenge fb
c) Wenge neck and fingerboard
d) Something else?

bonus question: binding?

Thoughts/ideas appreciated

View attachment 5430533 View attachment 5430542

Full wenge neck all the way. Tonewoods are a placebo in electric instruments.

 

[jymyben]

my warmoth necks of choice are wenge with a ebony board…

 

[thisheregiraffe]

My preferred Warmoth neck combo is a roasted maple shaft with an ebony board.

 

[DustyBottom]

I ordered a wenge/ebony fb, supposed to be here 2nd week of May

 

[tubby.twins]

So I have a question for you all.
...
Basically, my question is this: what would you do?

View attachment 5430533 View attachment 5430542

That is a spectacular looking piece of wood! I agree, darker fingerboard woods would be a good idea.

All-wenge is a great combination. Wenge with ebony is also great, and wenge with ziricote works nicely as well.

Another option to consider is a canary neck shaft, with any suitably dark fingerboard. To my hands, raw canary wood feels even better than raw wenge.

 

[BlueTalon]

I have a bubinga neck with a wenge fretboard on it, and I really like that combination. Silky smooth and tough as nails. I'd recommend it to you, as I think the bubinga would really match nicely with that body, but I don't think Warmoth offers bubinga any more.